Getting ready to go fishing in Western PA
A tiny town in western Pennsylvania could ask all of its residents to own guns, if a proposal under consideration on Wednesday wins approval from local officials.
Under the proposed law, residents of Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania, would be asked to own guns and know how to use them. Cherry Tree, some 70 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, has about 400 residents.
Introduced last month by resident Henry Statkowski, the measure recommends that “all heads of households maintain a firearm along with ammunition.”
In written comments, Statkowski said homeowners have a right and a responsibility to defend against intruders rather than calling police and waiting for help to arrive.
The measure would send a message to “burglars, ne’er-do-wells and other criminal elements.”
Aaron Fry, owner of the Cherry Tree Cafe, said he did not understand why the measure was necessary — because guns are common. “Every house has a couple of guns,” he said.
But, do they have enough ammo?
Update: City Council voted down the proposal 6 – 1. The only vote in favor was the dude who thought it up.
Forget the burglars, they need the guns to protect themselves from the government.
Too bad more town don’t show this kind of common sense.
I’ve always said this about gun laws…
Imagine you’re a thief about to rob a store, and you are willing to break any law to carry a gun.
Scenario 1 – Gun laws make it illegal for citizens to carry firearms. You are guaranteed that no one else in the store has a gun except you.
Scenario 2 – Gun laws allow some citizens to carry concealed firearms. You know that it is possible that someone in the store has a gun in addition to yours.
Now, think of the extreme case…
Scenario 3 – Gun laws REQUIRE all citizens to carry firearms. You are guaranteed that everyone else in the store has a gun.
Now… in which scenario would you prefer to rob the store?
It’s interesting to see a town actually consider to test this theory.
At least they also specify that the household must know how to use the weapon in their household.
#3 – which of your scenarios is the safest?
You’re a thief and know that everyone else has a gun. You enter a store that you want to rob, and there are 2 other people in the store – a customer and a clerk. Is it not better to catch the 2 off-guard and shoot them both right away, then rob the store?
If no one else has a gun, there’s no need to shoot anyone, so you walk out with $146.18 from the till, and take your chances with the store security cameras.
danno, do you like being a victim, or have you just resigned yourself to that fate?
This is not the first town to do this, people. Every time it results in a huge, dramatic drop in crime. Funny how that works.
“If no one else has a gun, there’s no need to shoot anyone, so you walk out with $146.18 from the till, and take your chances with the store security cameras.”
Being an unarmed victim does not keep a criminal from killing/injuring you; it just gives him more confidence to do so with impunity. There are a lot of people who were shot even after complying with robbers.
#5, so the bad guy is willing to commit double homicide for $146?
The point to allways be considered, is that not all of these criminals are rational. No rational persion is going to go shoot two people, risking being shot himself for $146.
For the rational criminal, having armed citizens will deter crime, or move it somewhere where they know that thier victims will be unarmed. For the isane, or drug crazed criminal, I dont think it makes any difference.
Kennesaw GA, and Virgin UT also have such a law.
It’s things like this that make everyone outside of the USA think that everyone inside the USA is a crazy person.
Also, @3: Interesting. Of course, most civilized countries have gone with option #1 in your list, recognizing that the sole purpose of a handgun is to injure or kill human beings and as such are designated as contraband.
#10: which makes sense that only the government should have them, right? Most of those “civilized” countries you speak of must not recognize that a person’s right to self defense is as important as his right to free speech.
Am I the only one that read the article?
The council will consider then dismiss this ordinance because ordinances like this are already illegal in Pennsylvania.
Also for the gun nutters out there…
In Michigan the gun crime rate has gone up since CCW passed, so we are repealing the CCW law here… It looks like Ohio is going the same direction…
Just for another example of how over movement conservatism is…
#12 For Michigan and Ohio. Has there been any reasonable study been done to see if the crime rate has gone up faster or slower than it was going up before the CCW law was put into effect? Also what percentage of the population went out and got a CCW.
Or it could just be that those states are beyond help.
#12,
A CCW law is entirely different than a law that requires citizens to be armed. A CCW law simply means that the citizenry is permitted to carry a weapon if they wish.
How about just tasers and maces? Whats the need for guns?
In Michigan the gun crime rate has gone up since CCW passed, so we are repealing the CCW law here… It looks like Ohio is going the same direction…
Really? I can’t find any reference to that. I did find this:
As of early March, the number of concealed-weapons permits in Michigan was up 39%, to 81,000 from 58,280 a year earlier. And a Detroit News poll showed that 58% of state residents favor the new law, while only 38% oppose it, mirroring national polls on the subject. Oakland County, home of the proverbially soft-hearted soccer mom, is the location of the biggest increase in applications for concealed-weapons permits.
http://www.federalobserver.com/archive.php?aid=3569
It boggles my mind to see a society in 2006 that still thinks they need to be armed.
I am guessing that this audience would take me to be naive, maybe I am, but I live in a country where I haven’t seen a gun in any household since about 20 years ago in my uncles house on a farm. Where the only people you see carrying guns are the police.
I am not saying that we don’t have gun related crime but I can’t remember hearing about some nucklehead who thought it was a good idea to pull out a gun to handle the situation.
Having said all that I realise that this is falling on the deaf ears of a society that seems to have convinced itself of its god given right to be able to carry a gun.
With that I guess I might have to reassess my position seeing as my country seems to be aligning more and more with the US of A, or maybe Australia will continue to be the lucky country.
With that I guess I might have to reassess my position seeing as my country seems to be aligning more and more with the US of A, or maybe Australia will continue to be the lucky country.
You guys are pretty much limited to carrying hammers now, aren’t you? Or have they banned those now too? Didn’t they ban knives right after they banned guns?
#17, The reason why the United States has historically had wide public support for private gun ownership is because it was an armed rebellion that led to our freedom from England in the first place. It’s also no coincidence that the British made some effort towards the end to restrict gun ownership in the American colonies as well.
#12, I would be seriously interested in information about how many CCW holders have be convicted of any gun related crimes in MI. I had not heard anything about this happening.
I dont see why any criminal would get a CCW, it’s like saying “I had better go get incurance before I steal that car”.
Almost every house in Switzerland has a gun, yet the murder rate there is 1.2 per 100,000, about the same as England where all handguns are prohibited.
Lets face it. If some Dumb @55 wants to rob us with a stolen weapon, then we all should have the right to defend our families with our legally owned weapon. Don’t know about you, but i think having guns is very safe. Hell go take a basic firearm safety course. Then go shoot some rounds at a shooting range. I guarantee you, this is more fun then watching your neighbors house or yours on COPS because of some bull5h1T that could have been prevented if you were packing a Springfield XD-45 :). Just My Opinion…
Forget those pea shooters.
According to the second amendment I have the right to bear arms.
Where’s my shoulder-mounted tactical nuclear device?
Why can’t I carry one of those. Not a big nuke, just a little one. I just want to kill a small crowd, not a whole city. A lousy pea-shooter, 44 Magnum, or Glock wouldn’t allow me to get all fifty of them with one shot. I’d have to reload too many times with either of these.
I want my tac nuke! It’s my right!
You could say that motorcycle deaths increase when there are more Walmarts. Or something like that.
But real stats (and honest logic) tell us that crime rates tend to track unemployment and the local economy, which are not good in MI and OH. CCW won’t go away without a HUGE, and I mean HUGE fight, and I’ve heard zip about it while sitting in a solidly conservative county.
22) Should freedom of the press only apply to Gutenburg presses and quill pens?
#20
Oh come on… Nearly 10% of CCW applicants are denied because they are felons!!!
See those “no ccw here please” signs everywhere? Do you suppose virtually every store in Michigan has put one of those up because there is no problems with CCW?
History will write, the CCW in Michigan experiment lasted 5 years. The 2002 law will be rolled back in the next six months. And they will do it without fanfair, because even the gun right advocates I know are surprised by its level of failure.
Peshaw!
In some states (Arizona, I know is one) you can buy an anti-aircraft weapon. So, why don’t we require that everyone own one? Then the criminals would really not want to mess with us, right? Probably would cut down on the number of wrongful police home invasions, too!
Roc — I realize your remark is as much tongue-in-cheek as my own Post of this article. I should note for the record as a disclaimer, I actually worked on the development of a shoulder-fired tactical nuclear weapon 47 years ago.
It was a piece of crap and more dangerous to the troops ordered to carry out tests with it — than it ever would have been to any enemy of the state.
It was called the Davy Crockett Rocket. 🙂 Larger versions were mounted on recoilless rifles and you can see one “in action” in King Kong vs. Godzilla, circa 1962.
#25,
I am shocked, 10%?
In Florida, about 1/2 percent (.005) of applications are denied.
10%! What kind of idiot would send an application to the police if he was a felon. A felon, in possesion of a firearm is up for 10 years in a federal prison.
Pesonaly, I have never seen a no CCW sign in the 8 or so states that I have carried my CCW in.
[edited: comments guide]
k.. time to revisit the crime and punishment issue..
does punishment deter crime on the streets? i say no
does punshment deter it in corporate america? …..
in this day and age.. would we all do the right thing if educated enough to know right from wrong and be able to easily take part in either?
guns aren’t the issue..
but until it gets figured out.. i’m shopping in canada